Company:Gaia, Inc.

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Short description: American streaming service company
Gaia, Inc.
TypePublic
NASDAQ: GAIA (Class A)
Russell 2000 Component
IndustryVideo production
Founded1988; 36 years ago (1988)
Boulder, Colorado, U.S.
FounderJirka Rysavy
Headquarters
Louisville, Colorado
,
U.S.
Key people
Rysavy, CEO, and Paul Tarell, CFO[1]
RevenueIncrease US$66.827 Million (Fiscal Year Ended 31 December 2020)[2]
Increase US$0.699 Million (Fiscal Year Ended 31 December 2020)[2]
Increase US$0.519 Million (Fiscal Year Ended 31 December 2020)[2]
Total assetsIncrease US$110.017 Million (Fiscal Year Ended 31 December 2020)[2]
Total equityIncrease US$74.235 Million (Fiscal Year Ended 31 December 2020)[2]
Websitewww.gaia.com

Gaia, Inc., formerly Gaiam, is an American alternative media video streaming service and online community focusing on fringe-science and yoga. Founded by Jirka Rysavy in 1988, its brands include Gaiam TV; the latter's name was changed to Gaia in 2016.[3]

The platform contains video and written articles on yoga, psychedelics and pseudoscience.[4][5] Hosted media topics focus on fringe theories, conspiracy theories, and alternative medicine.[6]

History

Early history

Gaiam was founded in Boulder, Colorado in 1988 by Jirka Rysavy.[7] His vision was to serve the "conscious consumer," a group subsequently named the "Cultural Creatives" by sociologist Paul Ray in 1996: educated consumers who make purchasing decisions based on their values.[8]

The company states that its original name was the result of fusing "Gaia", a mother earth deity, with the phrase "I am", for the "interconnectivity of all things".[9]

In 2001, it merged with the Californian company Real Goods Solar.[10] In 2005, Gaiam acquired the media assets of GoodTimes Entertainment and Jetlag Productions.[11] In 2003, the company bought a 50.1% share in its UK distributor Leisure Systems International (LSI).[12] In 2007, Gaiam acquired both Lime.com[13] and Zaadz.com[14] for a greater community presence.

Recent history

In 2011, the company launched Gaiam TV, a streaming service for videos on yoga, meditation, and fringe science.[15] renamed to Gaia in 2015.[16]

In 2012, Gaiam acquired Vivendi Entertainment, a DVD distributor from Vivendi subsidiary Universal Music Group Distribution, merging it with its home entertainment division to form Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment.[17][18] In 2019, USA Today ranked Gaia, Inc as the world's fastest-growing retailer,[19] spending up to 120% of revenue on advertising.[20]

In 2018, criticism by a filmmaker formerly employed by Gaia, Patty Greer, ended with a public apology to Gaia Greer after he accused them of "promoting Luciferianism and using directed-energy weapons against critics."[21][22][23][24]

In June 2019, Gaia started live streaming events from a new event center at its Louisville campus.[25][26][27] Events are live streamed in 185 countries with simultaneous translation,[28] and feature speakers such as Gregg Braden, Caroline Myss, Bruce Lipton, and Graham Hancock.[29] In November 2021, American singer and actor Demi Lovato announced that they had become an ambassador for Gaia.[30][31][32][33]

Meditation intention experiment

From September 30 to October 5, 2017, Lynne McTaggart hosted an American Peace Intention Experiment, broadcast on Gaia TV.[34] The experiment involved large numbers of people participating in group meditation specifically directed at decreasing violent crime in Fairground, an area around Natural Bridge Avenue in Northern St. Louis, Missouri, which was rated the most dangerous street in America.[35][36] For six months after the experiment. Jessica Utts, a University of California professor of statistics, analyzed four sets of crime data in St. Louis from September 2014 to March 2018 to determine what effect the Experiment had on crime.[36] From October 2017 to March 2018, property crime increased in Fairground, but violent crime decreased.[37] McTaggart reported that she did not know if the change in crime levels was caused by the Experiment or not, but that she continued to have hope.[36] This decrease in violent crime according to Utts was 45%, in contrast to a national decrease of 0.9% during the same year nationally [38]

Programming

Gaia provides four primary channels - Seeking Truth, Transformation, Alternative Healing, and Yoga - to subscribers in 185 countries, streaming more than 8,000 films.[39] Gaia surpassed 500,000 paid subscribers on September 13, 2018.[40] Topics range from mainstream (mindfulness meditation, basic yoga) to highly fringe (psychics, aliens, illuminati, energy healing,):

  • Astrology, the pseudoscience of attempting to divine the future based on the movements of celestial bodies.[41]
  • Metaphysics, a branch of philosophy that studies ideas about the nature of reality and being, and includes ontology, cosmology, and epistemology.[42] Gaia offers fringe metaphysical content, with a focus on Western esotericism topics such as universal consciousness and energy.
  • Pseudo-archaeology, fringe theories on ongoing archaeological debates that are far from the mainstream.[43][44] Gaia's programming ranges from discussion of Turkey's Gobekli Tepe archeological site,[45][46] through to theories on how aliens built the pyramids on Earth as well as on Mars.
  • Alchemy, an ancient practice of attempting to transmute matter and create elixiers of everlasting life.[47][48] It is promoted as a current pseudoscience via Gaia's alchemy-focused programs hosted by Theresa Bullard.[49]
  • Mysticism, topics such as the classification of mystical experiences, and their nature in different religions and mystical traditions.[50] Mystics differ from culture to culture (e.g. shamans, theurgists, Daoists, Kabbalists, Western esotericians, Buddhists, or Christians).[51] Programs on Gaia address primarily New Age and Eastern mysticism.
  • Kundalini, a primal force or energy thought, believed in by some Hindu practices,[52] and proposed to be controllable by yoga, meditation, or chanting.[53][54] Gaia has beginner and moderate Kundalini yoga videos.
  • Alternative medicine, non-scientific or counterfactual attempts to replicate the healing effects of the medicine. A large portion of Gaia's content centers on energy healing, naturopathy, traditional chinese medicine, Ayurveda or time travel.
  • Nutrition, the diet and nutrients necessary to maintain life and health. Some of Gaia's content promotes balanced diets and some were created in a partnership with Mayo Clinic[55][56] (though this partnership has been controversial).[57] It also promotes practices such as detox, superfoods or Paleolithic diet.
  • Meditation, the mental practice of focusing on a particular object, thought, or activity to improve one's mind, shown to be valuable for relaxation and stress reduction.[58] Gaia offers different meditation series that range from established relaxation meditation to highly fringe attempts to control reality or cross into parallel universes.

A show hosted by George Noory, covers several pseudoscientific topics such as psychic vampires, Hollow Earth theory, and mummified aliens.[59][60][61][62] This content has been criticized as misleading or falsified.[59][63]

Conspiracy theories

Topics covered by Gaia include the assassination of John F. Kennedy,[64][65] Operation Paperclip,[66][67] Project MKUltra,[68][69] and Big Pharma conspiracy theories.[70][71] Gaia's programming also discusses topics such as research on psychedelics used as medicine, like that performed by the Johns Hopkins Psychedelic Research Unit;[72] and UFO research, including that by government programs, such as the Pentagon’s Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program.[73]

References

  1. ↑ "Management Team". https://ir.gaia.com/company-information/management-team. Retrieved 10 November 2022. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Gaia, Inc. 2020 Annual Report". 31 December 2020. https://content.equisolve.net/_618399eaed499c7dd28bbf7a0b5d6257/gaia/news/2021-03-01_Gaia_Reports_Fourth_Quarter_and_Full_Year_2020_289.pdf. 
  3. ↑ Miller, Ben (11 May 2016). "Gaiam metamorphosis: Will sell its yoga brand and also change its name". Denver Business Journal. http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2016/05/11/gaiam-metamorphosis-will-sell-its-yoga-brand-and.html. 
  4. ↑ "Documentaries of Gaia.com". https://www.gaia.com/films-docs/documentaries. 
  5. ↑ Murphy, Duane Paul (2018-09-25). "The Gaia Deception: Digital New Age Nonsense". https://thehumanist.com/news/science/the-gaia-deception-digital-new-age-nonsense. 
  6. ↑ "Topics of Gaia.com". https://www.gaia.com/topics. 
  7. ↑ 'Gaiam Third Child of Entrepreneur Rysavy,' Boulder County Business Report, November 1, 1998, p. 1.
  8. ↑ Ray, P. H. (2001). The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World. New York: Broadway
  9. ↑ "Our Name". Gaiam. https://www.gaiam.com/pages/about-gaiam. 
  10. ↑ 'Gaiam, Real Goods to Merge,' Denver Post, October 17, 2000, p. C2.
  11. ↑ Gaiam closes GoodTimes Entertainment Deal at $35M" . Denver Business Journal. 9-14-2005. Retrieved 12-20-2012.
  12. ↑ Gaiam, Inc. (2003). 10-K Annual Report 2003. Retrieved December 20, 2012 from Gaiam Corporate Website
  13. ↑ "Gaiam, Zaadz, LIME Media & Conscious Enlightenment Create Unified Source for LOHAS". Bloomberg. 6-6-2007.
  14. ↑ Zaadz: Green Living Social Network Acquired" . Mashable. 6-6-2007. Retrieved 12-20-2012
  15. ↑ Gaiam, Inc (2011). 10-K Annual Report 2011. Retrieved December 20, 2012, from Gaiam Corporate Website.
  16. ↑ "Gaiam TV Is Now Gaia." Retrieved 24 November 2015, from Gaia corporate website.
  17. ↑ Gaiam Completes Acquisition of Vivendi Entertainment Creating Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment, the Nation’s Largest Independent Content Distributor - MarketWatch
  18. ↑ "Gaiam Acquires Vivendi Entertainment: Deal creates major indie distrib of nontheatrical content" . Variety Magazine. 4-3-2012. Retrieved 12-20-2012
  19. ↑ "Among the world's 20 fastest growing retailers, Amazon just ranks at No. 4". https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/05/15/the-worlds-20-fastest-growing-retailers/39468945/. 
  20. ↑ Inc, Gaia (2020-02-24). "Gaia Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2019 Results". http://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/02/24/1989522/0/en/Gaia-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2019-Results.html. 
  21. ↑ Pampuro, Amanda (2018-08-21). "Gaia Hits Filmmaker Patty Greer With an Old-School Weapon: a Lawsuit". https://www.westword.com/news/gaia-hits-filmmaker-patty-greer-with-an-old-school-weapon-a-lawsuit-10684808. 
  22. ↑ "UFO filmmaker who called former client 'Luciferian' sued for defamation". 2018-08-09. https://businessden.com/2018/08/09/ufo-filmmaker-sued-for-defamation-called-former-client-luciferian-satanists/. 
  23. ↑ Pampuro, Amanda (2018-12-31). "Slander Suit Against Filmmaker Patty Greer Dismissed, Then Refiled". https://www.westword.com/arts/gaia-inc-sues-crop-circle-filmmaker-patty-greeragain-11081376. 
  24. ↑ "CropCircleFilms.com Offers Patty Greer's Award Winning Crop Circle UFO Films". https://cropcirclefilms.com/. 
  25. ↑ "Gaia to launch live streaming from Louisville campus". 2019-04-27. http://www.dailycamera.com/gaia-to-launch-live-streaming-from-louisville-campus. 
  26. ↑ "Gaia to launch live streaming from Louisville campus" (in en-US). 2019-04-27. http://www.dailycamera.com/gaia-to-launch-live-streaming-from-louisville-campus. 
  27. ↑ "Gaia Widens Loss In Q3 | SGB Media Online". https://sgbonline.com/gaia-widens-loss-in-q3/. 
  28. ↑ "Louisville's Gaia grows revenue, aims for 1M subscribers by 2019" (in en-US). 2018-05-08. http://www.timescall.com/ci_31863113/louivilles-gaia-grows-revenue-aims-1m-subscribers-by. 
  29. ↑ "Louisville's Gaia grows revenue, aims for 1M subscribers by 2019" (in en-US). 2018-05-08. http://www.timescall.com/ci_31863113/louivilles-gaia-grows-revenue-aims-1m-subscribers-by. 
  30. ↑ McNab, Kaitlyn (November 18, 2021). "Demi Lovato Joined Gaia — Here's Why It Matters". Condé Nast. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/demi-lovato-joined-gaia-heres-why-it-matters. 
  31. ↑ Strunck, Clara (November 17, 2021). "Demi Lovato Joins Conspiracy Site Gaia - Here's What You Need To Know". UK. https://www.elle.com/uk/life-and-culture/culture/a38274874/demi-lovato-gaia-conspiracy-site/. 
  32. ↑ Paper Magazine (November 9, 2021). "Demi Lovato Is Out Here Promoting a Site for Conspiracy Theorists". https://www.papermag.com/demi-lovato-gaia-conspiracy-2655528288.html. 
  33. ↑ Rude, Mey (November 9, 2021). "What You Need to Know About Demi Lovato Joining Conspiracy Site Gaia". https://www.out.com/celebs/2021/11/09/what-you-need-know-about-demi-lovato-joining-conspiracy-site-gaia. 
  34. ↑ "American Peace Intention Experiment". https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/what_we_do/event/american_peace_intention_experiment. 
  35. ↑ "Peace Intention Experiment". http://noosphere.princeton.edu/peace.intention.html. 
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 "The results of the American Peace Intention Experiment - Lynne McTaggart". https://lynnemctaggart.com/the-results-of-the-american-peace-intention-experiment/. 
  37. ↑ "SLMPD Crime Statistics". https://www.slmpd.org/crime_stats.shtml. 
  38. ↑ "FBI Releases 2017 Crime Statistics". https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/press-releases/fbi-releases-2017-crime-statistics. 
  39. ↑ Pampuro, Amanda (2018-08-21). "Gaia Hits Filmmaker Patty Greer With an Old-School Weapon: a Lawsuit". https://www.westword.com/news/gaia-hits-filmmaker-patty-greer-with-an-old-school-weapon-a-lawsuit-10684808. 
  40. ↑ "Gaia Widens Loss In Q3 | SGB Media Online". https://sgbonline.com/gaia-widens-loss-in-q3/. 
  41. ↑ Zarka, Philippe (2009). "Astronomy and astrology" (in en). Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union 5 (S260): 420–425. doi:10.1017/S1743921311002602. ISSN 1743-9221. 
  42. ↑ "Definition of METAPHYSICS" (in en). https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metaphysics. 
  43. ↑ Whipps, Heather; Earth, Elizabeth Peterson-Live Science 2016-10-27T13:33:00Z Planet. "The 25 Most Mysterious Archaeological Finds on Earth" (in en). https://www.livescience.com/29594-earths-most-mysterious-archeological-discoveries-.html. 
  44. ↑ Change, Educate Inspire (2015-06-27). "25 Archaeological Controversies That Have Scholars Divided" (in en-US). https://educateinspirechange.org/nature/25-archaeological-controversies-scholars-divided/. 
  45. ↑ Curry, Andrew. "Gobekli Tepe: The World's First Temple?" (in en). https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/gobekli-tepe-the-worlds-first-temple-83613665/. 
  46. ↑ "Skull Cult at Göbekli Tepe - Archaeology Magazine". https://www.archaeology.org/issues/281-1801/features/6165-turkey-neolithic-skull-cult. 
  47. ↑ "What is alchemy?". https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/alchemy/what-is-alchemy. 
  48. ↑ Grafton, Professor of History Anthony; Newman, William R.; Grafton, Anthony; Buchwald, Jed Z. (2001) (in en). Secrets of Nature: Astrology and Alchemy in Early Modern Europe. MIT Press. pp. 396. ISBN 978-0-262-14075-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=CMuJGpztRFMC. 
  49. ↑ "Alchemy for Soul Ascension with Theresa Bullard" (in en-US). https://reginameredith.com/gaia-videos/alchemy-for-soul-ascension-with-theresa-bullard/. 
  50. ↑ Gellman, Jerome (2019), Zalta, Edward N., ed., Mysticism (Summer 2019 ed.), Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2019/entries/mysticism/, retrieved 2019-11-22 
  51. ↑ "Mysticism - Mystical states" (in en). https://www.britannica.com/topic/mysticism. 
  52. ↑ "What is Kundalini? - Definition from Yogapedia" (in en). https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/4982/kundalini. 
  53. ↑ Muktananda, Swami, 1908-1982. (2000). Play of consciousness = Chitshakti vilas : a spiritual autobiography. SYDA Foundation. (3rd ed.). South Fallsburg, NY: SYDA Fdn. ISBN 0-911307-81-8. OCLC 42296147. 
  54. ↑ "I Tried Kundalini Yoga. Here's Everything You Need To Know" (in en). 2016-07-07. https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-25810/i-tried-kundalini-yoga-heres-everything-you-need-to-know.html. 
  55. ↑ "Gaiam: Mayo Clinic Wellness Solutions for Insomnia on Apple TV". https://tv.apple.com/gb/show/gaiam-mayo-clinic-wellness-solutions-for-insomnia/umc.cmc.3f6deve8v1tk2ua13rz12va3a. 
  56. ↑ "Mayo Clinic Wellness Solutions for Menopause Season 1 Episode 1 Watch Online | The Full Episode". https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/rf-watch-online/tv-shows/mayo-clinic-wellness-solutions-for-menopause/season-1/episode-1. 
  57. ↑ Li, Ben; Forbes, Thomas L.; Byrne, John (2018). "Integrative medicine or infiltrative pseudoscience?" (in en). The Surgeon 16 (5): 271–277. doi:10.1016/j.surge.2017.12.002. PMID 29305045. 
  58. ↑ "A beginner's guide to meditation" (in en). https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858. 
  59. ↑ 59.0 59.1 "An ancient, mummified alien has been found, group claims". The Independent. 2017-06-26. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/ancient-mummified-alien-gaia-video-fake-hoax-false-extraterrestrials-life-nasa-a7809256.html. 
  60. ↑ "'Alien' mummies likely to be distorted, stolen Nazca bodies". NewsComAu. http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/archaeology/alien-mummies-may-be-manipulated-bodies-looted-from-peru-experts-say/news-story/3d8c2e4297aa70fa4c7293651b72c8d5. 
  61. ↑ Heaney, Christopher. "The Racism Behind Alien Mummy Hoaxes". The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/08/how-to-fake-an-alien-mummy/535251/. 
  62. ↑ "George Noory's Online TV Show Launches December 14th" . All Access. 12-11-2012.
  63. ↑ "FACT CHECK: Did Researchers Find a Mummified, Three-Fingered Alien in Nazca, Peru?". Snopes.com. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/alien-mummy-peru/. 
  64. ↑ Gillon, Steven M.. "Why the Public Stopped Believing the Government about JFK's Murder" (in en). https://www.history.com/news/why-the-public-stopped-believing-the-government-about-jfks-murder. 
  65. ↑ "JFK assassination conspiracy theories: The grassy knoll, Umbrella Man, LBJ and Ted Cruz's dad" (in en). Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/10/24/jfk-assassination-conspiracy-theories-the-grassy-knoll-umbrella-man-lbj-and-ted-cruzs-dad/. 
  66. ↑ "Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program to Bring Nazi Scientists to America — Central Intelligence Agency". https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol-58-no-3/operation-paperclip-the-secret-intelligence-program-to-bring-nazi-scientists-to-america.html. 
  67. ↑ Lewis, Danny. "Why the U.S. Government Brought Nazi Scientists to America After World War II" (in en). https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-us-government-brought-nazi-scientists-america-after-world-war-ii-180961110/. 
  68. ↑ "MK-Ultra" (in en). https://www.history.com/topics/us-government/history-of-mk-ultra. 
  69. ↑ "History's greatest conspiracy theories" (in en-GB). The Telegraph. 2016-03-16. ISSN 0307-1235. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/03/16/historys-greatest-conspiracy-theories/project-mk-ultra/. 
  70. ↑ "Five more states sue OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma for opioid epidemic" (in en). https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/five-more-states-sue-oxycontin-maker-purdue-pharma-opioid-epidemic-n1006391. 
  71. ↑ Blaskiewicz, Robert (2013-12-01). "The Big Pharma conspiracy theory". Medical Writing 22 (4): 259–261. doi:10.1179/2047480613Z.000000000142. ISSN 2047-4814. https://journal.emwa.org/good-pharma/the-big-pharma-conspiracy-theory/. 
  72. ↑ "Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research" (in en-US). https://hopkinspsychedelic.org/. 
  73. ↑ Cooper, Helene; Blumenthal, Ralph; Kean, Leslie (2017-12-16). "Glowing Auras and 'Black Money': The Pentagon's Mysterious U.F.O. Program" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html. 

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